The Persuasive Effect of Social Network Feedback on Mediated Communication: A Case Study in a Real Organization

Abstract

This study focuses on social feedback, namely on information on the outcome of users' online activity indirectly generated by other users, and investigates in a real setting whether it can affect subsequent activity and, if so, whether participants are aware of that. SkyPas, an application that calculates, transmits, and displays social feedback, was embedded in a common instant messaging service (Skype(™)) and used during a 7-week trial by 24 office workers at a large business organization. The trial followed an ABA scheme in which the B phase was the feedback provision phase. Results show that social feedback affects users' communication activity (participation, inward communication, outward communication, and reciprocity), sometimes even after the feedback provision phase. At the same time, users were poorly aware of this effect, showing a discrepancy between self-reported and observational measures. These results are then discussed in terms of design transparency and task compatibility.

Does social media use at work lower productivity

“…This result suggests that Skype does not create a significant positive impact on the success of work projects despite anecdotal narratives that consider Skype as a potentially powerful tool for use within the organisation and for work projects. This result is surprising, particularly given the widespread use of Skype (Varotto et al, 2016).…”